Philadelphia Eagles taking stadium off-grid

The sporting world's most eco-friendly franchise wants to set global standard with new solar, wind and biogas additions.

A rendering of Lincoln Financial Field, with wind turbines and solar panels circling the field.

The Philadelphia Eagles, already recognized in the NFL as a sustainability leader, have announced a massive renewable energy installation that will catapult them ahead of any sporting club worldwide.

At a gathering today at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles' management team announced a partnership with renewable energy company Solar Blue that will effectively take the NFL stadium off-grid.

The plan, scheduled to be finished in time for next September's start of the 2011 National Football League season, will see 80 spiral-shaped wind turbines attached atop the stadium and 2,500 solar panels installed. Nature gas and bio-diesel fuel will power the 7.5MW co-generation plant.

The energy to be generated is comparable to the annual electicity usage of over 26,000 homes. In the off-season, the organization expects to send over 4MW of energy back into the grid.

Solar Blue will pour an initial $30 million into the project in an effort to get the retrofit ready for next year's season. According to TIME, the Eagles will pay Solar Blue a set price for their energy, with increases of 3% a year over the next 20 years—altogether, the Eagles expect the deal to help reduce their energy costs by almost 25% in the first year.